[Satellite Today – 2-25-08] The Kizuna Wideband InterNetworking engineering test and demonstration satellite was placed into orbit Feb. 23, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. announced.
The satellite is designed to provide high-speed Internet to areas of Japan that have been left off the country’s high-speed grid.     According to the project’s Web site, home users will have access to download speeds of 155 megabit per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 6 Mbps. Businesses and other organizations using a larger dish will be able to get connections of 1.2 gigabits per second.